Gas turbine engines generally include one or more structural frames within the engine, such as between compressors of a compressor section or turbines of a turbine section. The frames may provide support for bearing assemblies and may additionally provide areas to route pipes or manifolds from an outer diameter to an inner diameter, such as to provide air and oil to bearing assemblies.
However, known frames within gas turbine engines often include a plurality of separate components fastened or assembled together, such as rings, vanes, pipes, manifolds, or other structural members. As a result, frames generally include large part quantities, weights, thicknesses, and/or diameters for routing components within certain structures, such as pipes within vanes. Still further, known frames may reduce gas turbine engine efficiency and performance by increasing a blockage in the core flowpath due to large and/or numerous vanes or struts extending through the flowpath.
Therefore, there exists a need for a gas turbine engine frame that may provide structural support for bearing assemblies while improving gas turbine engine efficiency and performance by reducing weight, reducing part count, and/or reducing blockage of the core flowpath.